PORT ORANGE, Fla. – A Port Orange man has been arrested after investigators said he threatened to kill President Donald Trump online, according to court records obtained by News 6. After tracking the post back to Dell, a U.S. Secret Service officer contacted him on April 24, investigators added. “Dell demanded to know what the conversation would be about, to which (the officer) explained that he was investigating a threat posted on Twitter,” the affidavit reads. “Dell became angry and told (the officer) not to show up to his residence or (the officer) would not be walking. Dell also made a verbal threat to shoot (the officer) if he showed up.” Following the call, Dell attempted to call the officer again, investigators said. After the officer didn’t answer, Dell reportedly sent several text messages, such as “(Expletive) pull up to my (expletives) I’m gone shoot you in your mf face.” In response to the threats, the officer asked for backup from the Port Orange Police Department, the affidavit notes. “(The officer) also stated that Dell sounded loud and angry on the phone,” the affidavit continues. According to investigators, the USSS agent and another officer eventually confronted Dell, who admitted to threatening the agent but denied making the threatening post toward Trump. But after Dell was arrested and jailed, he told a detective that he’d indeed made the threat against Trump, investigators noted. “Dell stated that he was upset when he had made the post because he was worried that the Trump administration was going to take away his federally assisted housing,” the affidavit states. In fact, investigators revealed that just a week before Dell made his post, the Associated Press had reported that the Trump administration was planning to halt a $1 billion federal housing program aimed at funding energy-efficiency improvements in affordable housing units. On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Dell has been indicted on a charge of influencing, impeding or interfering with a federal official by threat to murder. If convicted, Dell faces up to 10 years in federal prison.
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